Document qaXM52QDg7xgbeBDNKZRJkKeM
OCCUPATIONAL TIE . TO CANCER SOUGHT
Those Exposed to Chemicals at Work to Be Studied
By JANE . BRODY
How many of the myriad! chemicals and particles to|
which riiod:rn man is c.ntlmi
ally expos-.-d ,m:y c='use c' en
hance Jh.-. pr- ;h of h:'nan!
cancer? T x-tiy to ansv ihi i
question. *'ii A'~
.
Sock'".
CcDtf.z
IW.i-s t-..dc v o.-,.
2-c ccilab Mi h an o ier '
s:.'e sti iy f workers wlic arc
occupationally exposed to sus
pected hazardous sr.ostances. The study, announced yester
day at a news conference held
in conjunction with the cancer
society's annual meeting here, will involve a thorough analysis of the dea.h records of hun dreds of thousands of workers
-.in various industries--including asbestos workers, typographers,
printing tradesmen and chemi
cal worker'. "W'c c.~v
vhi u.-k-
f-:; fc:--r.n:s-thr. rt ex; d to
potent:..' ch-cmitM a phys'cal i azards at higher concentra
tion, more isgitlarly and more intimately than most people," Dr. Irving J. Seiikoff, one of
the study directors, told the
news conference. ''Ultimately." he added, "we want to apply
the findings in workers to the
general population, which may ^j}so be at risk." . .
' Fiberglass Workers in Study
Dr. Seiikoff, who is director
of the Environmental Sciences
l.abornlory-. a! Me.-nr Sinai,
gave .cu a.'.-x..- 3Kl: tr. t 'sects
of error- c;-
! T-cr-
;!c.-. i. .r. '
L-
cancer in some animal studies.
"Ii we find that fiber-glass
workers have an unusually
.high incidence of cancer, then
` we would begin to worry about
the general public who may be
continually exposed to invisible
particles in -fiber-grass thru get
into the air from air-condition
ing systems," the doctor said.
\ Albert E. Hutchinson, presi*
' dent of the International Asso
ciation of Heat and Frost- In--
sulators and Asbestos Workers,-
explained that in most new
high-rise buildings air-condi-
lioning ducts are lined with
i fibcr-g!as:, part'd-'s cf vl-b-h
) then g-t ll-l ! =.r il'.h; it.-;' by
| people who live in the building,
v-- Alexander J. Rohan, presi
dent of the International Print
ing Pressmen and Assistants'
Union of North America, told
the conference that a cursory
look at the death records of.
his union.-members indicated
an unusually high incidence oft
emphysema. _
I
PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT
/ / /y)&S
71
Carbon Black inhaled Dr. E. Cuyier Hammond, vice president for epidemiology and statistics at the cancer society and,co-ordinator of the occupa tional study, said that press men inhale mists ef carbon black, a close relative of lamp black. whicR is known to be carcinogenic (cancer-pro ducing).Members of New York Typographical Union No. 6, headed by Bertram A. Powers, ' will also" be involved in the study. Men who set type are occupationally exposed- to hot ' metal fuincs and filings, which may contribute to the develop- -i tent of lung cancer, Dr. Ham mond said. The cooperating unions were - selected, in part, for the excel lent health ic-vnis iney nave maintained on their members through tnc years, Dr. Sc-lihoff . -- said. Mr. Powers's union has death records going back to 1K60, the pressmen's union has records sir.ee 1204- and the as bestos workers' union Iras rec ords dating back to its inception i;t 1912. Dr. Seiikoff said that in many cast.-, employers will participate in tho studies. Dr. Hammond estimated the . ..ncer society's contribution to study--which has indeter-- n.inate scone and length--at about Si-million a year. In a speech last night at the society's annual dinner, Elliot L. Richardson, Secretary of Health, . Education and Welfare, said v'.-f. that the.National Cancer In stitute was developing a "Na tional Cancer Plan" under which the (iiOO-miliion in addi tional - cancer funds approved ' by Congress would be allocated.
CAPCO K!N 0000980